Caroline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, not great. BUT, I'm thinking she really is on her way back; she just needs more time. She is gutsy to keep going and she is looking to be in good shape. I think this could bode very well for her; buckle down and fix stuff starting now, and next season, I bet we see a very different CZ.

I agree. I thought her speed improved and there was improvement on her jump technique. Beautiful spin with the pearl at the end.

For the sake of her confidence, I wish she had not competed this year. You could tell that she really wanted a good free skate after her short program and some of her energy deflated. It's tough to compete in an environement where you were on top and then have fallen. I think a post Olympic year is the perfect year for a 'vet' who needed to address a lot of technique issues to go off radar for one season. Oh, well - I hope she realizes that she's got a lot of support and that she's improved, regardless of her placement.

There's something about Caroline that just draws me in. In many ways, she's similar to Alyssa - both beautiful, flexible and wonderful spinners with jump issues. So, Caroline, keep in working because Alyssa is, too.

Jennifer Krik was a wonderful skater. She had neat and tidy jumps, like Kristi Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski, rather than big ones. She was able to develop a distinctive and eye-pleasing style, best shown in her routine to the Chicago soundtrack.

Kirk made the Nationals podium only once, a bronze in 2004. But she went to Worlds twice, because in 2005 bronze medalist Kimmie Meissner was too young. Jenny had bad luck at Worlds, being sick both times. If I remember correctly, in 2004 she was so sick she had to withdraw after the short program.

Her career was cut short by an eating disorder just as she was coming into her own.

I didn't realize that the eating disorder had such an effect on her career. I loved watching her. Another program that she delivered beautifully was her "Die Fledermaus" skate. The frothy music of Johann Strauss perfectly suited her deft artistry.

Alissa another great skate, keep believing, congratulations on winning your 2nd national title, good luck in worlds and 4cc
Rachel--good skate, keep it up congratulations on winning silver medal. good luck at 4cc and worlds.
Mirai--decent skate-congratulations on winning bronze,
Agnes--congratualtions on winning pewter, keep it up. good luck at junior worlds.
Christina Gao, good luck at junior worlds. keep believing.
Courtney Hicks good luck at junior worlds. congratulations on winning junior national title.

Birukova, Shelepen and Ovcharova are past their growth spurts from the looks of it (and are already 15, 16 years old) , Tuktamysheva, Radinova, Lipitniskaya most certainly are not, as for Sotnikova, Agafonova, and Sheveleva, it's hard to tell. There are seriously so many talented girls though that you can bet at least a few of them will survive puberty and be forces.

Isn't Ovcharova still only 14? And i think Shelepen is about 15. They could still grow a few inches in the next couple years. Look at the growth spurt of Christina Gao. She was 15 last year at nationals and this year must have been about 4 inches taller.

I finally show the lps, strange competition, left me with bitter taste a little. I found the critics to Caroll about the way he spoke to Mirai in KnC exaggeration, as there is a coach athelte relationship people dont get sometimes. I didnt mind that.
But then I read what he said to Hersh and I wondered why Mirai is paying this man, one thing to critique her , and another to say stuff that make Mirai lazy and untrained etc, in press? Was it necessary for him not to ruin his reputation? The mooning point was shocking to me, I would never expect a man of his age to say something like this public for a little lady.

I think Frank is just frustrated. For Mirai to be making silly little mistakes like on her spins is something that shouldn't be happening. Also i get the feeling that he thinks that Mirai is not working hard enough. It's time for Mirai to stop playing with her skating career and get serious. She's wasting her talent while someone with inferior talent is going to Worlds again. And i don't mean Alissa.

I dont think it is the same for your coach to say it in public, rather than yourself saying I didnt prepare well etc. It makes a whole difference displeasant aura. It realy sounds like coach wants the failure reason to be off him and he is giving her away.
And really he had to say he thought a 17 year old was mooning the audience? It is wrong in so many levels.

I was a bit shocked myself that he felt the need to air all that out in public. I'm worried about their relationship.

It seems a bit of a harsh reaction to a freeskate with a few mistakes that won the bronze. I've always known Frank was tough and I'm sure there is truth to his words. I doubt he would just make everything up. On the other hand, we don't know Mirai's side of the story. And it would be unbalanced anyway - a 17-year-old versus a giant force in the sport like Frank Carrol.

``She had such a great season it was hard to get her juices going again,'' Carroll said. ``And not having Evan in the rink beside her every day to kick her butt and tell her when she was ridiculous also was a factor.

``She has been a bit all over the place. Sometimes I don't understand where she is coming from. I feel she trained better than what I got (Saturday), but she didn't get her act together until about three weeks ago. That's not really long enough.

I think he was just really mad that he blew it again. She let the fact that Alissa skated well and got good scores affect her instead of rising to the occasion and using the energy like we saw so nicely in the men's competition on sunday. She just gave up before she even started and that is not the sign of a champion. NOthing will ever go perfectly. There will always be a distraction, a set back, ,an injury. A champion rises above all that and relies on his or her training.

Mirai is like Sasha in that way, set dosen't have the dedication to put in the hours in training and then lets the headgames come in when the lights go up. I really hope Mirai figures out how to conquer this, but she will have a long wait to prove herself again. By next fall the sting of letting this opportunity go won't be as fresh as if she competed in March.

Bottom line. Yes, Frank was harsh, but I think he is perfectly justified in being so.

I think he was just really mad that he blew it again. She let the fact that Alissa skated well and got good scores affect her instead of rising to the occasion and using the energy like we saw so nicely in the men's competition on sunday. She just gave up before she even started and that is not the sign of a champion. NOthing will ever go perfectly. There will always be a distraction, a set back, ,an injury. A champion rises above all that and relies on his or her training.

Mirai is like Sasha in that way, set dosen't have the dedication to put in the hours in training and then lets the headgames come in when the lights go up. I really hope Mirai figures out how to conquer this, but she will have a long wait to prove herself again. By next fall the sting of letting this opportunity go won't be as fresh as if she competed in March.

Bottom line. Yes, Frank was harsh, but I think he is perfectly justified in being so.

But does he have to be that in public? What purpose is served?

ETA: That tidbit about Evan pushing Mirai last year was kinda cool to know though.

I think he was just really mad that he blew it again...Bottom line. Yes, Frank was harsh, but I think he is perfectly justified in being so.

Everybody can be mad in the heat of the moment, Plushenko was accused for attacking Lysacek in defeat, Caroll is 3 times his age, he is her coach - her own team and in that aspect he is not much more graceful in defeat either. Especially the 70 year old coach against a 17 girl..He should have learnt to protect his skaters by now, he could have gone to the rink and tell her all that privately.